Florida Keys News
Saturday, December 1, 2012
'60 Minutes' report on hospitals
Parent company of Lower Keys Medical Center hires 'independent experts'
BY GWEN FILOSA Citizen Staff
gfilosa@keysnews.com

Health Management Associates, the Naples-based hospital chain whose stable includes the Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, warned staff and investors Friday of a "60 Minutes" report that accuses the company of raking in profits by ordering unnecessary tests and emergency room admissions.

The Fortune 500 company's pre-emptive strike resonated in tiny Key West, where CEO N...

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Hmmm

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 2:41am by Duck
I have worked at many Emergency Rooms. Our admission rate at Lower Keys are much lower than the other facilities. Sorry for all the bad experiences I have read. I am glad that satisfied customers send input to our facility, which is greater than the unsatisfied. It's great to read how impressed tourist are with our Emergency Room, since they have something to compare it to.

Um, are you the ER PR agent? We've had four visits to the ER

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 10:33pm by *.* CLEARLY the original
in the past 20 years and all were awful. First there's the automatic order for tests when they aren't warranted OR when they were already done elsewhere. Then they don't want to SHOW you the tests. I took pictures the last time of the filth on the floor and a lot of kinky dark hairs that didn't appear to come from someone's head, if you know what I mean. Gross.

My first visit in the 2000, I had a kidney stone, and they ignored me for a long time, then the ER doctor (David E) came sauntering in at 2 AM, eating Chinese food out of a styrofoam box. Impressive. And on this one, they billed for a ton of tests and they did not do a single test. No blood draw. Not even a urinalysis. I reported to the authorities who oversee hospital accreditation.

Dear Conch Harbor Obama care will not be enacted until 2014.

Submitted on Sun, 12/02/2012 - 10:00am by joey
Pre-existing conditions and lifetime insurance caps are the only change we have seen in our medical system yet. The health insurance exchanges have not been set up yet. Maybe you should read about the act before you make an uneducated comment.Here you go. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act

Joey

Submitted on Fri, 12/07/2012 - 11:08pm by Conch Harbor
Some parts of the health care for everyone plan is already in effect. Maybe YOU should should read it. There are also several tax increases in the health bill. Wikipedia is not a creditable source since it can be edited and changed by anyone.

My mom went into this

Submitted on Sun, 12/02/2012 - 8:59am by just us conchs
My mom went into this hospital in 2007. She had COPD. While there the hospital administered a breathing treatment and forgot to hook back up the oxygen until I pointed it out to them. Right before she died, she had been complaining about stomach pain. They had forgotten to put her catheter back in after they had taken her for an xray. She had not been able to urinate for 2 full days. The whole experience there was heartbreaking. Dirty laundry would sit in the bathroom for 2 days and had to be brought to their attention. They would leave her food tray near the sink and as she was not able to get to it, no one would come in to feed her. We tried to be there as much as 10 hours a day to make sure she ate. There was never anyone available to do this. I actually would tip the person who cleaned the room and then the room would get cleaned to my satisfaction. I met with the hospital administrator after she died. I told them of the problems and also mentioned that these elderly patients should never be humilated by leaving there doors open while they are undressed and the nurses are yelling down the hall that they need diapers. I know my mom was embarrassed. Treat these patients with RESPECT.

Awful, but not unexpected.

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 11:57am by *.* CLEARLY the original
They simply do not care.

What's missing is not just respect. It's CARE and it's training

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 11:56am by Tina
What's missing is not just respect. It's CARE and it's training and it's education. I'm sorry to hear about your Mom. They will indeed kill you in that hospital. You absolutely MUST have an advocate there ALL the time and it's a shame that that is the case. A friend had the same issues in 2010 with the dirty linen, mistakes with IV's were a biggie. The room was filthy and was NEVER CLEANED during a 4 day visit. They refused to help him bathe and just handed him a wet washcloth. They never cleaned his wounds. The temperature was really unbearably hot in the room. A simple request for juice would go 6 hours. And this is all outside of the triple billing and refusal to correct their own proven mistakes! He and his wife communicated with the hospital administrator Will and all they did was deny. I know that everyone is emotionally wrung out when in the hospital, but I STRONGLY recommend taking pictures of everything - dirty laundry, food trays with the wrong food, dirty floors and bathrooms and screwed up IV's and meds. You never know when you'll need PROOF. It's a mistake to trust ANYONE at the hospital. EVER. Those who do not have a spouse or loved one to act as advocate are doomed.

....

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 11:07pm by ....
Its sad with some 3rd world countries have better health care than us here in the states...

HMA's philosophy is flawed

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 10:06pm by anonymousforareason
HMA's philosophy is that the ER is the front door to the hospital. This is where the admissions come from. Further, they believe that a reason can be found to admit anyone who comes into the ER. This message comes from the top administrator and both ER and contracted physicians are expected to adhere to this philosophy and generate admissions for the hospital.

Their philosophy is one thing: FRAUD. "Get it anyway you can and

Submitted on Sun, 12/02/2012 - 11:55am by *.* CLEARLY the original
don't give it back." Double and triple billing to insurance companies, refusal to comply with requests for supporting documents as I've read here, and to refusal correct errors appears to be a company driven policy of fraud. And the physicians are part of the problem if they also bill incorrectly.

It appears these medical companies went to the Rick Scott School of Theft.

Not surprised

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 9:19pm by NativeConch67
My uncle went there after he broke his hip. They messed up the surgery and he had to have a complete hip replacement after he returned home to Tennessee. I took my son there last year after he cut his knee. They made him clean his own wound then tried to charge us for the ER visit. I sent a note with the bill saying I wasn't paying it because he treated himself.

My friend had to clean her husband's wound - days after

Submitted on Sun, 12/02/2012 - 11:47am by Tina
My friend had to clean her husband's wound - days after he was admitted for an accident. The ER people wouldn't do it. The nursing staff wouldn't do it. Outrageous.

Totally agree

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 6:56pm by Exasperated
I could not agree with you more. When I have a relative in the hospital I stay with them as I can't trust anything they do out there. Completely dangerous.

Hospital bills

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 6:04pm by Mr B
8 years ago I had outpatient knee surgery...hospital cost $13,000. In 2012 had outpatient Shoulder surgery...hospital cost $55,000. This hospital billing is criminal. I bet 60 Minutes are right on the money

We found in 2004 that a basic colonoscopy at the Lower

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 12:01pm by *.* CLEARLY the original
Keys Hospital on an outpatient basis would run around $6,000. However at a GOOD hospital on the mainland, it was around $1,400. These numbers included surgeon. While the surgeon was more expensive here, the facility charge was a huge difference.

indeed

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 8:47pm by Conch Harbor
Welcome to the new world of obamacare! And worst is not due until 2014. The 47% who pay no fed income tax have no worries. Notice to the taxpayers....bend over now and avoid the rush

Administrative costs

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 12:34pm by Observer
Are about 3% when administered by Medicare, and over 20% when administered by an insurance company. Why do we let insurance companies, whose only loyalty is to their shareholders, act as middlemen between us and our doctors? That was, of course a rhetorical question. We do it because the insurance industry bribes our politicians. The only problem with Obamacare is that it does not extend the Medicare system to everyone, just like every other developed country in the world.

You are an idiot. It goes

Submitted on Sun, 12/02/2012 - 9:48am by george
You are an idiot. It goes the other way. That is the point. And by the way part of that 47% are the military, and elderly.

Child-Like response

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 6:52am by Conch Harbor
A very small part of that 47% is military and the elderly. Most of those folks pay federal income tax. And name-calling is a bit childish, dont you think?

:::yawn:::

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 10:36pm by *.* CLEARLY the original
You Baggers can't get over it, can you? You simply believe everything you read in a chain e-mail from your bagger friends, with 18 different oversized fonts in 24 different colors, accompanied by racist cartoons for those who can't read?

This has nothing whatsoever to do with Obamacare.

Submitted on Sun, 12/02/2012 - 9:01am by *.* CLEARLY the original
This crap has gone on for as many years at this hospital and the ACA isn't even implemented. . You people need to get over it and stop making everything about your own sour grapes.

Is there anything factual you were trying to get across?

Submitted on Sun, 12/02/2012 - 6:55am by 666
Or just some clever talking points from Hannity? Obamacare will actually help hospitals reduce costs and not need huge surcharges on the insured to cover all the uninsured since, thanks to Obamacare, everyone will be forced to have insurance. You know, that whole self reliance thing the GOP claims to support? I guess the current system is better where "takers" just get free care at emergency rooms while you and I pay for it via higher insurance premiums and taxes. Do some research and get some facts before you keep ranting.

666

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 6:53am by Conch Harbor
You still watch WAY too much TV.

What a debate!

Submitted on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 7:41am by 666
Another crack response from Conch Harbor. No comments on the facts or my calling out your lies. Same old same old...

Sigh

Submitted on Fri, 12/07/2012 - 11:12pm by Conch Harbor
666, once again you have a snappy comeback apropos of nothing. If ignorance is bliss then you are , indeed, one happy person

What about the complete

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 12:55pm by george
What about the complete incompetence of most the staff. Doctors charging for biopsies even though they know that there are bones in the way and more invasive procedures are needed. Anesthesiologists not knowing how to use the equipment. Doctors not warning patients of the risks involved in procedures. Airlifts because the doctors do not feel like dealing with things. Smoking on the property in the back parking lots. Emergency room staff showing up with the wrong charts, or altogether forgetting that a patient is in the room. There is so much wrong with the joke of a hospital I hope 60 minutes tears the place apart. The place should be shut down, the company sued and all the doctors have their license stripped. We deserve better here, our children deserve better. and yes I do not like it, and if I have a choice I will go to miami but sometimes you do not have a choice, and I just hope and pray they do not kill me, permanently injure me, or complete misdiagnose me like they have done to so many.

Recently, my husband had to go for emergency and the doctor

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 7:23pm by *.* CLEARLY the original
made sure he was drugged up before she told him to sign the consent. They sold it on 'fear'while he was on drugs! Unethical!

The smoking out front ? It's awful!!! Sickening. The food they serve is absolutely toxic. It's all pre-packaged, processed foods with high fructose corn syrup and chemicals and ZERO actual nutrition. They are out to kill you there.

The bills haven't all come in but I'm sure it's going to be much like everyone else's experience - double billing and fraud.

So you are saying that

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 3:25am by Duck
So you are saying that patients should remain in pain until all consents are signed? If I am in pain, please don't wait until CT studies are done before treating my pain, appendicitis is painful. Unethical!

He was having halucinations and I was on the way. They did it

Submitted on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 10:22pm by *.* CLEARLY the original
because they knew I'd not allow it.

It wasn't appendicitis. He was stable and a second opinion was warranted but they didn't want us to have a second opinion. They made sure of that.

Oh, this is going to be good

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 9:26am by Tina
Oh, this is going to be good! My friend's husband was admitted after an accident, and the hospital has double and triple billed for tests, and has refused for the past two and a half years, to send the test results as proof the tests were done. My friends have proof that many things that were billed were not used nor done (i.e. photographic and x-ray proof). They have disputed the bill and the hospital just sends to a collection company. They dispute again and it goes to another company. This has been going on for 2 1/2 years and neither HMA nor Lower Keys have any interest in providing the information that supports the billing. Now I see! It's because it's a systematic system of fraud! I'm glad to see this is coming to light. I can only imagine how many others have suffered at the hands of this bunch of crooks who take advantage of those who are not in the position to take care of themselves.

Add price gouging to the list.

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 8:02am by Nickname
Last year I needed an MRI brain scan. Did some research on cost of MRI brain scan with contrasting agent around the US. Prices ranged from around $700 to $1500. The $1500 was in Hawaii, where everything is expensive for pretty good reasons. (Key West prices did not show up in the references I found online, and I had to have it done in Key West.) The cost of this MRI at HMA's rip-off hospital in Key West? $6,000. Six thousand dollars. Four times what it would have cost in Hawaii, the highest-cost area listed. And I'll just bet that in Hawaii the MRI isn't done in a tractor-trailer. Health Management Associates certainly bears some investigation. I'm glad 60 Minutes is on their case. I also could relate a couple of horror stories about two loved ones who almost died in HMA's Keys hospitals because of incompetent care. HMA is a plague on the healthcare industry.

The game

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 7:01pm by Exasperated
The only reason why they get away with this is there is no other choice. It is a dangerous, unsanitary, unprofessional death trap if I have ever seen one. Can't wait to watch the show? No way they can't cover it all in 60 minutes. You would need the show 24 to do that.

You got it.

Submitted on Sun, 12/02/2012 - 9:10am by Nickname
HMA's business model is to get management contracts in small markets where there's little or no competition, so they can "charge what the traffic will bear". And that's what they do. Their company history is fairly interesting (and not in a good way). There WAS a good Wikipedia article on HMA (which seems to have disappeared). According to said article, the hotshot that brought the company back from financial difficulty is a guy who got rich saving failing beer companies.

Been a patient there. That

Submitted on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 6:12pm by david2009
Been a patient there. That place is scary.
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